• The Innocent

  • By: Harlan Coben
  • Narrated by: Scott Brick
  • Length: 13 hrs and 28 mins
  • 4.4 out of 5 stars (4,628 ratings)

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The Innocent  By  cover art

The Innocent

By: Harlan Coben
Narrated by: Scott Brick
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Publisher's summary

Some mistakes can change your life forever. For Matt Hunter, that mistake came in one terrible moment when his attempt to help a friend and stop a fight resulted in an accidental death. Matt was convicted of manslaughter and sent to prison. Time that his peers spent in college, Matt endured behind bars.

Now, nine years after his release from prison, his innocence long forgotten, he's an ex-con who takes nothing for granted. With his wife Olivia pregnant, and the two of them closing on a house in his hometown, things are looking up. Until the day Matt gets a shocking, inexplicable video call from Olivia's phone. And in an instant, the unraveling begins.

A mysterious man who begins tailing Matt turns up dead. A beloved nun is murdered. And local and federal authorities, including homicide investigator Loren Muse, a childhood schoolmate of Matt's with a troubled past of her own, see all signs pointing to a former criminal with one murder already under his belt...Matt Hunter. Unwilling to lose everything for a second time, Matt and Olivia are forced outside the law in a desperate attempt to save their future together.

An electrifying thrill ride of a novel that peeks behind the white picket fences of suburbia, The Innocent is at once a twisting, turning, emotionally-charged story and a compelling tale of the choices we make and the repercussions that never leave us.

©2005 Harlan Coben (P)2005 Penguin Audio

Critic reviews

"What Coben does best is take readers into his characters’ hearts and minds. His protagonists are just common folks, minding their own business when - bam! - they are drawn into a terrifying world of sordid crimes and mayhem.” (USA Today)

“Modern suburbia unravels in this latest puzzler from Coben...Don’t make the mistake of not reading it!” (Library Journal)

"Jaw-dropping plot twists...Fans of rose-tinted nightmares [will] gasp their way through Matt’s free fall, scared and happy as kids on a roller coaster.” (Kirkus Reviews)

What listeners say about The Innocent

Average customer ratings
Overall
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
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    2,745
  • 4 Stars
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  • 3 Stars
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  • 2 Stars
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Performance
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    2,762
  • 4 Stars
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  • 3 Stars
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  • 2 Stars
    44
  • 1 Stars
    24
Story
  • 4.5 out of 5 stars
  • 5 Stars
    2,297
  • 4 Stars
    1,024
  • 3 Stars
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  • 2 Stars
    76
  • 1 Stars
    42

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  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars

Coben and Brick....How could you not listen?!!

I was going to buy the written version of this book because it included a short story featuring Myron Bolitar, a fun character of Mr. Coben, but when I saw that it was read by SCOTT BRICK, I just had to have the audio version! ( I think Scott
Brick could make multiplication tables interesting.) Coupled with Coben's plot weaving, I found it to be a compelling read. If you have read Coben before, don't be surprised if your "AHA" is not as pronounced, as in say, TELL NO ONE, but I still recommend it. If you never read Coben, and like mystery, then I think you're in for a treat, and if you never listened to a book read by Scott Brick, well then ,rather than a treat, for you I think this will be a true delicacy. ENJOY!!!!
PS: I only gave four stars because, I did figure out most of it.

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116 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Exciting!

This is the 2nd book I have come across from this author. I physically read "Just One Look". I have never read a book before that kept me so on the edge. Until this one.
This story starts out interesting and just keeps getting better and better. I like reaching parts of suspense, but I get dismayed about how some authors keep them going too long. If an author can't get their timing right, it loses the magic. This author has great timing and the situations that are causing the suspense are not ridiculously added to this story just for that purpose.
I am almost finished listening to this story, but I wanted to make sure that there was a review written for this book. I just want to keep listening to it. I don't want to turn the story off. I want to sit in my car after I get home and keep listening. I am extremely impressed with this author. I promise you won't be disappointed.

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63 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Coben's best standalone story to date!

While I love all of his standalone books that I have read (listened to) to date, this one is the best thus far. The chemistry of the characters is amazing. This is a very mysterious and adventurous novel and it has more twists and turns than one's small intestine! Not one dull moment in this story.

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55 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Ed
  • 08-31-07

Liked it a lot

There are a number of ways you could criticize this book. It had too many twists to make it believable. Many of the setups were too contrived. Some of the characters were very stereotypical. I don't care. It was an enjoyable listen and there were enough clues to get you into the right ballpark as you tried to figure out what was going to happen next. The narration was also excellent. I look forward to more colloborations between this author and narrator.

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51 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Solid as a Brick

This book is filled with well developed characters whose arrays of virtues and flaws makes you both cheer them and scold them. The story evolves at a pace that is never too hurried or too slow. I mostly listen while commuting. I was so enthralled on one commute that I truly did not remember driving home. Please also note that Scott Brick's narration is often flawless. This performance does not disappoint. His juggling of so many voices often makes me think he must be afflicted (or blessed) with a multiple personality disorder. He is that good.

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38 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars

Meh... Not my favorite H. Coben

Not Harlan's best writing. I'll admit, there were times where I kept listening because I was excited to see where the plot twist was headed. It was written pretty well with many different characters and plot lines intertwining. I enjoyed the process of "unwrapping" the story, much like a present. However, I felt it often times moved slowly.

In my opinion, the story was just too hard to believe and too convoluted for my taste. There were times when I really just wanted the story to get moving. I felt the author focused on a lot of irrelevant details regarding the characters. He'd introduce a character, spend what I felt was an eternity on unrelated minute details regarding said character, and then move on to the next character, only to do it all over again with that character. Honestly, there were times where I found myself zoning out during these introductions and recalls, only to snap out of it and not feel like going back to see what I missed. Another annoyance to me was, when all said and done, everything was wrapped up in a neat little bow. I have to roll my eyes when stories like this, where all these characters from different locals, are so entwined, only to have everything fall into place just in time.

The narration was great. I enjoy Scott Brick and the books he voices. Where some think he's being too dramatic, I find that I lose myself more in the story when the other "performs" the book rather than simply reading it.

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30 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

I'm Guilty!

Guilty of being sucked in from the start and seldom turning off my ipod. This grabbed my attention and never let go, despite its length. Scott Brick now feels like an old friend and it is a pleasure listening to anything that he narrates. There were a couple of scenes that were emotional by themselves, but with his added compassion and understanding of the characters, I was actually almost moved to tears, which makes me feel quite silly, but also is a testament to how deeply the characters are developed and how we get to know them and feel for them.
In addition, I am most certainly not good at predicting what will happen or who the "bad guy" is, but the ending made my mouth drop and a little gasp escaped me. All this while at the gym.

Most definitely and very highly recommended!!

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24 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Very good listen

Although this book starts out slow, it quickly gets very exciting. Harlan Coben books are full of unexpected twists, and this book is no exception. It keeps you guessing to the very end.

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16 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars

Collosal Disappointment

I was so excited when I saw this book come up on Audible. I had listened to another one of this author's books and enjoyed the suspense and story. This book gave me none of that. The long paragraphs about the emotional state of the main character made me want to gag, they were so trite and predictable. Call me a cynic, but "Love at First Sight" found again is just too precious. The twists and turns were contrived and unbelievable. I found it difficult to like or care about any of the characters, just wanted them to get to the oh so predictable ending so I could move on to my next listen!

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12 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    1 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    1 out of 5 stars

The most ridiculous book on audible

Normally, I would return a book like this prior to finishing. But I had to finish this tripe just to warn others. Cliche dialogue, unbelievable plot, unlikeable characters, and so on. I cannot stress enough how poorly written this is. My experience with Corban is "tell no one". A decent book written in the first person. Judging by this book, Corban is unable to write in third person. Utter rubbish. And lastly, I'm tired of Scott brick getting heaps of praise. His over dramatic acting probably contributed to the distaste for this novel. i know I may be getting over the top with my criticism of this book, but it is well deserved. Don't waste a credit.

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10 people found this helpful